Chemical injuries to the eye are the second leading cause of work related ocular injury. Such injuries can be very serious, particularly those with alkali. These injuries can be caused by liquids, solids, aerosol, and powders. The injuries can occur at home (detergents, solvents, ammonia), industry, agriculture (fertilizers), and in construction (plaster, cement). In contrast to acid injuries that precipitate proteins, and create a penetration barrier, alkali rapidly penetrates the cornea, causing severe damage to intraocular structures. Chemical injuries can cause visual loss from damage to the ocular surface, corneal ulceration, glaucoma, and severe intraocular inflammation.
Management of chemical injuries requires immediate irrigation of the eye(s) with water or a balanced saline solution. pH is monitored before and after irrigation. Because particulate matter can lodge underneath the eyelids or the conjunctival fornix, this is of particular concern because these particles can continue to leach out toxic chemical(s) once irrigation is stopped. Therefore, the fornices and conjuctiva are swept with a cotton tip swab to remove these particles. In contrast to ocular irrigation, this technique is challenging to perform, requires topical anesthesia, and is generally reserved for physicians to complete after the patient has been transported to a medical facility. Non-leaching particulate matter (ocular foreign bodies) can lodge underneath the eyelid and may persist there in spite of copious irrigation where they cause discomfort and disruption of the ocular surface. These must often be removed carefully by medical personnel under topical anesthesia.
As an alternative to removal of ocular particulate matter by swabbing with a moist cotton tipped swab, herein we describe the use of instilled polymers that bind particulate matter, and upon solidification at body temperature, enable removal of the particles. These particle removing polymers are unique in that by virtue of being applied as a liquid, they can bind to all the irregular interstices of the ocular surface. Furthermore, they are not so strongly adhesive that they damage the ocular surface on solidification and removal from the eye. Lastly, ocular drugs (topical anesthetics, antibiotics, glaucoma medicines) can be combined with the polymer solution to allow these agents to work with instillation of the polymer solution onto the eye.
The present invention addresses some of the deficiencies in the existing art.